This "Note"
is one
of a series
where I give my ideas on aspects of Reiki and/or energy work. The pages
are intended to give some "food for thought" and some are only my
viewpoint. While a number of facts may be included, you should decide
for yourself how much (if any) of the content feels right to you.

This article is from some material
I have been preparing for my own master level students.

You’ve just completed your master level, or maybe you did so some time
ago but now you are thinking about teaching Reiki.Maybe you planned this all along or someone
has been urging you to teach them. So now you are wondering “What’s next?” or
“How do I get started?”

This concern has come up often in master level classes.I even had to go through some of this when I first
decided to teach; most Reiki teachers do.So this Note and some of the following ones will offer ideas to think
about as you prepare to teach Reiki.Maybe some of them will be useful for the experienced teachers as well,
if only to pass onto their new master students.

Getting
Started:

1.Reiki Master: The first thing I suggest
thinking about is “What Does Being a Reiki Master Mean to You?”This may sound simple, even obvious, but if
you try to write down your thoughts on this you might be surprised at what you
actually feel about it.This was
actually a topic in my own first Reiki Master class, with thoughts provided by
William Rand who taught my teacher. Over time and with much experience I came
to think of this in greater detail and also shared an article on my web site from
my own Threshold Reiki Master manual (see link below). Once you have written your
thoughts on this, you pretty much know how you will approach the Reiki training
you will offer.

2.What to Teach:Again this might seem simple; you might just
teach what your own master taught you.But what if you had a different teacher for Reiki 1?What if that teacher or your current one’s
material is too detailed, complicated, or perhaps doesn’t quite feel right for
you?Well, you are now a Reiki Master
and so YOU can decide what YOU wish to teach.Why not think of what topics you are most comfortable teaching a new
student? It might be only a part of what you hope to ultimately include, but
you will no doubt grow your teaching method over time and experience.Decide what you feel is most important for
the level you will teach and begin with class topics that address those
points.Remember, Reiki is very simple
to learn. Even Mrs. Takata’s original training method was quite simple,
presented in a lecture and demonstration format, and didn’t include practice
time during class for students (they did this on their own afterwards.)Most likely your method will include more than
this.But it’s your choice.I tell my students that when they finish my
class they will have more Reiki knowledge, experience and Reiki energy than when
I first began, so they will find teaching Reiki to be easy, interesting and
enjoyable.

3.Preparing Class Plans: it’s a good idea
to list the topics and exercises you wish to cover in the class, and then try
to break it down by the amount of time you think each segment will take. If
possible, you might include the odd optional topic, something you can skip if
one segments turns out longer than expected, but one that you can make use of
if a segment goes quicker than you thought it would. If you include information
on each of these optional topics in your handouts then you can also just assign
them as homework for the student.Make
sure you include times for breaks and meals (like lunch). While my handout for my class agenda is in
simple point form listed by time, my own teacher’s version originally has a lot
of detail to remind me what I wish to cover for each part of the class.After several years of classes I no longer
needed that level of detail.

4.Preparing Class Material: You might not
be aware that handouts or manuals were not originally part of most Reiki
training. The URR Gakkai and Dr. Hayashi did eventually have a small handout
for the beginning student, but not much more. (See the links at the bottom of
this article.) These days it’s almost a
given that the student will receive a manual with the class.A really simple way to start out is to buy each
student a Reiki book you find useful and include its cost into your class
fee.Or you can download a free or
inexpensive manual off the internet (like my Sample Reiki 1) and add any
additional handouts not covered in it that you wish to discuss in class. Again,
some of the material can be assigned as post class reading or exercises.

5.Where to Teach the Class: Most new
teachers will probably choose to hold the classes in their own home. If you do
this, then determine how many people you can comfortably sit and teach in your
space, including room for Reiki practice, washroom facilities, and your
location. You don’t want so many people that some feel claustrophobic or have
difficulty breathing, or people are sitting almost on top of each other. If you don’t have a reasonable space you can
also look at borrowing or renting some space elsewhere. Often you can find a
room at a local community centre, meeting hall, church basement or even someone
else’s healing facility or clinic.You
might even offer to teach in the student’s home, possibly offering a discount to
the owner if it is a group class.

That’s enough to
get the ball rolling and to help you decide how organised you wish to or need
to be.